Cross-national transfer of policy models to developing countries: Epilogue

What lessons can we learn from the historical and contemporary narratives and analyses from the previous articles? Can any tendencies or trends be distinguished as to the dos and don’ts of policy transfer to developing countries? To answer that question, we will first go back to the issues raised in the prologue and then relate them to the particular events in the different cases.     

Differential contributions of dorsal vs. ventral hippocampus to auditory trace fear conditioning

The effect of excitotoxic lesions of dorsal vs. ventral hippocampus on the acquisition and expression of auditory trace fear conditioning was examined in two studies. In Experiment 1, animals received excitotoxic lesions of either the dorsal or ventral hippocampus or sham surgeries one week prior to conditioning, and were tested 24 h later. In Experiment 2, animals received excitotoxic lesions of either the dorsal or ventral hippocampus or sham surgeries 24 h after training, and were tested one week after surgery. Both pre- and post-training lesions of ventral hippocampus impaired the acquisition and expression, respectively, of auditory trace fear conditioning. Pre-training lesions of dorsal hippocampus had no effect on the acquisition of trace fear conditioning, while post-training lesions of dorsal hippocampus dramatically impaired expression during subsequent testing. Although in some cases animals with lesions of ventral hippocampus exhibited locomotor hyperactivity, it is unlikely that the pattern of observed deficits can be attributed to this effect. Collectively these data suggest that the dorsal and ventral hippocampus may contribute differentially to the mnemonic processes underlying fear trace conditioning.     

Translating Empirically Supported Strategies Into Accessible Interventions: The Potential Utility of Exercise for the Treatment of Panic Disorder

Many patients suffering from panic disorder do not receive adequate care. Advances in the conceptualization and treatment of panic disorder encourage innovative strategies for targeting core fears (fears of anxiety sensations) that underlie this disorder. In this article, we discuss the use of exercise as a potential strategy for therapeutic exposure to these feared sensations, and the role that exercise may play as an acceptable intervention to aid the dissemination of exposure-based approaches to the treatment of panic disorder. Evidence for the efficacy of exercise for the treatment of anxiety and panic is presented; along with strategies to enhance the role exercise can play as an interoceptive (internal sensation) exposure procedure. Finally, issues of comorbidity and exercise acceptability are discussed. Our conclusion is that exercise-based interventions are promising strategies for improving the utilization of exposure-based interventions for panic disorder. Clinical guidelines and future research directions are discussed.     

PC_Eyewitness: Evaluating the New Jersey method

One important variable in eyewitness identification research is lineup administration procedure. Lineups administered sequentially (one at a time) have been shown to reduce the number of false identifications in comparison with those administered simultaneously (all at once). As a result, some policymakers have adopted sequential administration. However, they have made slight changes to the method used in psychology laboratories. Eyewitnesses in the field are allowed to take multiple passes through a lineup, whereas participants in the laboratory are allowed only one pass. PC_Eyewitness (PCE) is a computerized system used to construct and administer simultaneous or sequential lineups in both the laboratory and the field. It is currently being used in laboratories investigating eyewitness identification in the United States, Canada, and abroad. A modified version of PCE is also being developed for a local police department. We developed a new module for PCE, the New Jersey module, to examine the effects of a second pass. We found that the sequential advantage was eliminated when the participants were allowed to view the lineup a second time. The New Jersey module, and steps we are taking to improve on the module, are presented here and are being made available to the research and law enforcement communities.     

Kasuistik und Praxis – Grundpfeiler der medizinischen Methodik

psychopraxis. neuropraxis -     

Some observations on the process of mourning

The main proposal of this paper is that normal mourning is not completed after six months to a year or two as suggested in earlier literature, but may bring about a permanent alteration of psychological structures that affect various aspects of the mourning persons’ lives. These structural consequences of mourning consist in the setting up of a persistent internalized object relationship with the lost object that affects ego and superego functions. The persistent internalized object relationship develops in parallel to the identification with the lost object, and the superego modification includes the internalization of the value systems and life project of the lost object. A new dimension of spiritual orientation, the search for transcendental value systems, is one consequence of this superego modification.